Ferry to Lynn?

2 round trips a day, > $6 fare, far away from existing transit

I don't get it. Who is going to use this?
 
Really silly. Extend the damn Blue Line and give Lynn the transit it deserves. I have friends who live in Lynn and all of them drive to Wonderland instead of taking the Commuter Rail. Lynn wants rapid transit. This is not rapid by any means.
 
I think there is a strong contingent for it in principle. I know of people who drive from Duxbury, Marshfield and Pembroke to the Hingham boat- passing highway on ramps and commuter rail stations that cost less and are faster. It is my literal nightmare of suburban commuting habits, but it is popular and a great relaxing way to get in compared to any other mode. People will drive to this and it will have a loyal following.

But, it is no substitute for rapid transit. You are talking a middle/upper class 9-5 commuting constituency- not full service to downtown.

The most surprising thing in the article to me was that the CR is $9! from Lynn. A $2 blue line ride would open a lot of latent demand. You can't even compare the boardings with a differential like that.
 
Really silly. Extend the damn Blue Line and give Lynn the transit it deserves. I have friends who live in Lynn and all of them drive to Wonderland instead of taking the Commuter Rail. Lynn wants rapid transit. This is not rapid by any means.

Lynn is on the list for DMU service in 2024. Under the MassDOT vision document, Lynn would be the place for the meetup between "local" trains (serving points inward from Lynn like Chelsea Silver Line) and "outer" trains (serving local stops beyond Lynn but operating express from Lynn to North Station)

In other threads we've discussed how the MBTA will have to improve reliability so that express and local can mix.

I suspect you'd get pass-riders on the boat and folks going to the Financial District and the Innovation District, both of which probably attract high-wage riders who are being coaxed out of cars (not folks who'd ride any kind of train today or ever). For them, the high fare also keeps out the riff raff.
 
Lynn is on the list for DMU service in 2024. Under the MassDOT vision document, Lynn would be the place for the meetup between "local" trains (serving points inward from Lynn like Chelsea Silver Line) and "outer" trains (serving local stops beyond Lynn but operating express from Lynn to North Station)

In other threads we've discussed how the MBTA will have to improve reliability so that express and local can mix.

And therein lies the rub. Check the last few years' worth of OTP scorecards archived on the T website and tell me those Newburyport/Rockport numbers don't make you wince. Clock-facing is not clock-facing when stuff chronically doesn't run on-time and gets bunched by all the late trains in front and behind. Real, honest-to-God money and quite a bit of it needs to be sunk into the Eastern Route before there can be quasi-"rapid" service that meets its stated goals. The vehicles alone don't this service make.
 
2 round trips a day, > $6 fare, far away from existing transit

I don't get it. Who is going to use this?

Probably people who live in Marblehead and commute to the financial district... I don't know how many people who actually live in Lynn would use this...
 
I think there is a strong contingent for it in principle. I know of people who drive from Duxbury, Marshfield and Pembroke to the Hingham boat- passing highway on ramps and commuter rail stations that cost less and are faster. It is my literal nightmare of suburban commuting habits, but it is popular and a great relaxing way to get in compared to any other mode. People will drive to this and it will have a loyal following.

But, it is no substitute for rapid transit. You are talking a middle/upper class 9-5 commuting constituency- not full service to downtown.

In principle... they are running 2 boats a day south, and 2 boats a day north. I guess this might work for people who can afford to risk missing the boat because they just get back in their car and keep driving?

I'm familiar with the Port Authority ferry boats. They've always been expensive, $9 or more nowadays, I think, one-way. It's fairly popular even so, since the alternative is a Lincoln tunnel bus (great until 10 a.m., sucky thereafter). Key thing is that they run every 15-20 minutes all day long. You can show up and go. And they have free shuttle buses to get you around Manhattan.



The most surprising thing in the article to me was that the CR is $9! from Lynn. A $2 blue line ride would open a lot of latent demand. You can't even compare the boardings with a differential like that.

Stupid error in article. It's $6 from Lynn, but I guess the reporter bought a ticket on-board during the week. +$3 surcharge. Maybe if they consulted a schedule or the website instead...
 
And therein lies the rub. Check the last few years' worth of OTP scorecards archived on the T website and tell me those Newburyport/Rockport numbers don't make you wince. Clock-facing is not clock-facing when stuff chronically doesn't run on-time and gets bunched by all the late trains in front and behind. Real, honest-to-God money and quite a bit of it needs to be sunk into the Eastern Route before there can be quasi-"rapid" service that meets its stated goals. The vehicles alone don't this service make.

The Newburyport/Rockport lines lower on-time performance has a lot to do with locomotive issues for the entire north side. The existing Beverly short-turn trains (trains 61/62 and 63/64 in the AM; 67/68 and 69/72 in the PM) are many times run late or even annulled to free up equipment for all north side lines whenever they are down a consist due to locomotive failures. A delayed or disabled train on Fitchburg, Lowell, or Haverhill can result in a late train on Newburyport/Rockport when the equipment for the Beverly short-turns is juggled around to fill gaps. Locomotive failures make up a high percentage of delays from mechanical issues, which are a major cause of delays overall. The 40 new locomotives on order will be replacing the 40 oldest in the fleet between now and 2015, which should result in more reliable service and less need to juggle equipment around to meet schedules. One advantage of DMU shuttles just running on specific runs is they won't be stolen to fill in elsewhere.

The other delay issue on Newburyport/Rockport has been continuing problems with the Beverly drawbridge, but more rehab work under their bridges program (lumped into one program for multiple bridges in the MBTA CIP) is planned.
 
Oh no, a private shuttle! Must be causing insane gentrification in Marblehead! Don't tell anyone from San Francisco!
 
I've heard TripAdvisor has a shuttle from Cambridge to Newton for its employees / interns.
 
Oh no, a private shuttle! Must be causing insane gentrification in Marblehead! Don't tell anyone from San Francisco!

More importantly, try standing in front of a Lynn town meeting and getting their enthusiastic buy-in stating that Marblehead is one of the top constituencies for the Lynn ferry.

"Yeah...so? I have to walk a half-mile past industrial blight from the nearest bus stop to catch this thing. How is that any faster than the express bus to Wonderland I've been taking to work for the last 10 years?"
 
I've heard TripAdvisor has a shuttle from Cambridge to Newton for its employees / interns.

There are a lot of shuttles that are provided by employers, sponsored by schools, operated by Transportation Management Associations etc. in the region. But a for profit commuter shuttle that requires reservations (not just walk up and pay a fare or buy a ticket like on a Peter Pan or P&B bus) is somewhat unique around here.
 
Probably people who live in Marblehead and commute to the financial district... I don't know how many people who actually live in Lynn would use this...

As a Lynn resident, I find this ferry solution slightly underwhelming... (Blue Line or new CR fare structure please!). But, I commute to Downtown Boston from Lynn (via car to Wonderland) everyday and would love another competitive option! It's only going to work if it's fare is competitive with other transit options.
 

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